Elastic-fluid turbine.



W. L. KING.

' ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2t. I918.

1,297,864. Patented Mar. 18,1919.

Inventor' William L.King, bgflwr M His Attorneg UNITED s ATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,

- A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 21, 1918. Serial No. 255,150.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NVILLIAM L. KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use-' the low pressure packing, the excess over that required for such purpose being returned to the turbine at a point of lower pressure so that it may perform work in the low pressure end of the machine.

I have found that to seal the low pressure packing of an elastic fluid turbine a sub stantially constant volume of the leakage" steam from the high pressure packing is required and according to my invention I provide an arrangement which may be set or adjusted to supply such required volume and which automatically directs any elastic fluid in excess of such required volume back to the turbine at a point of lower pressure therein.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.-

In the drawing, Figure l is a view partly in section of the essential parts of an arrangemen-t embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of Fig. 1 in connection with an elastic fluid turbine.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates an elastic fluid turbine having an inlet conduit 6 and an exhaust conduit 7, and provided .with a high pressure packing 8 at the inlet end and a low pressure packing 9 at the exhaust end. Elastic fluid which leaks through the high pressure packing 8 is conveyed by pipe 10 to the low pressure packing 9. Any elastic fluid in excess of that required to seal the low pressure packing is conveyed by a pipe 11 to an intermediate point or stage in the turbine Where the pressure isbelow that of the leakage elastic fluid. In pipe 11 is arranged a suitable valve 12, preferably of a balanced type as shown, and this valve is controlled by the volume of flow of elastic fluid to the low pressure packing in such a manner that if the volume of flow thereto increases, the valve opens to pass more elastic fluid to the turbine, While if the volume of flow to the low pressure packing decreases the valve closes to permit less elastic fluid to flow to the turbine and hence increase the flow to the low pressure packing. To this end I provide in pipe 10 at a. point beyond pipe 11 as regards the flow of elastic fluid, a suitable device which creates a pressure difference that bears a definite relation to the rate of flow, and I connect such pres sure difference creating device to a movable abutment means associated with valve 12.

In the present instance the pressure (litterence creating device is shown as being in the form of a Pitot tube or nozzle plug 13 and the pipes which convey the leading and trailing pressures therefrom are indicated at 14 and 15 respectively. The movable abutment means is shown as comprising two cylinders 16 and 17 provided with pistons 18 and 19, both of which are connected to the stem of valve 12. The leading pressure pipe 14 is connected to cylinder 16 on the upper side of piston 18, the cylinder vided 011 the other side of the piston 18 with an opening 20 which connects it to atmosphere. The trailing pressure pipe .15 is connected to cylinder 17 on the lower side of piston 19, the cylinder 17 being provided on the other side of piston 19 with an opening 21 :which connects it to atmosphere. The leading and trailing pressures thus act on valve 12 in opposition to each other. Con- "nected with the movable abutment means is a lever 22 provided with adjustable weights 23 by means of which the moving parts may be balanced. At 24 is a pipe connected to pipe 10 and provided with a valve 25 which may be used to admit high pressure elastic fluid from any suitable. source to seal the packing.

In operation the weights 23 are so set that with the desired amount of elastic fluid flowing to the low pressure packing 9, a pressure difference will be created which acting on pistons 18 and 19 will just hold the valve 11 in ,equilibrium. It now the flow to the low pressure packing increases, the pressure difference created by device 13 becomes greater causing the movable abutment means to move valve 12 in a direction to permit more elastic fluid to flow past it to the turbine casing, thereby bringing the flow to the low pressure packing 9 back to normal. On the other hand if the flow to the low pressure packing 9 decreases,

16 being pro Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

the pressure difference created by device 13 becomes less causing the movable abutment to move valve 12 in a direction to permit less elastic fluid to flow past it to the turbine casing and hence causing more to flow to the low pressure packing 9 to again bring the flow to the desired normal value.

It will thus be seen that with my improved apparatus I always supply a suflicient volume of elastic fluid to the low pressure packing to effectually seal it. At the same time I avoid supplying too much elastic fluid which causes elastic fluid to blow out of the packing, or too little which may result in the packing losing its seal.

In accordance with the provision of the patent statutes, 1 have described the principle oi operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other Vi hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- l. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine having a high pressure packing and a low pressure packin of conduit means connecting the high pressure packing in parallel to the low pressure packing and to a point of lower pressure in the turbine, and means responsive to the volume of flow to the low pressure packing for regulating the flow from the high. pressure packing to the low pressure packing and the intermediate point in the turbine.

2. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine having a high presure packing and a low pressure packing, of a conduit for conmenace veying elastic fluid from the high pressure packing to the low pressure packing to seal the latter, a branch conduit leading from the first named conduit to a point of low pressure in the turbine, and valve means controlled by the volume of .flow of elastic fluid to the low pressure packing for regulating the flow through said branch conduit.

3. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine having a high pressure packing and a low pressure packing, of a conduit for conveying elastic fluid from the hi h pressure packing to the low pressure packing to seal the latter, a branch conduit leading from the first named conduit to a point of low pressure in the turbine, valve means for controlling the flow through said conduits, and a pressure difierence creating device which is acted upon by the flow to the low pressure packing for regulating said valve means.

4. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine having a high pressure packing and a low pressure packing, of a conduit for conveying elastic fluid from the high pressure packing to the low pressure packing to seal the latter, a branch conduit leading from the first named conduit to a point of low pressure in the turbine, valve means for controlling the flow through said conduits, a movable abutment connected to said valve means, and a pressure diflerence creating device which is acted, upon by ,the flow to the low pressure packing and has its leading and trailing sides connected to said abutment.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of September, 1918.

/ WILLIAM L. KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Fatents,

Washington, D. C. 

